Beneficial effect of sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors on right ventricular systolic function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a pilot, observational study

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors is a new class of antidiabetics, conferring a significant cardiovascular risk reduction. However, underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Right ventricular (RV) function is adversely affected early in the course of diabetes. Herein we sought to determine the effect of long-term use of SGLT-2 inhibitors on RV function.In this pilot, observational study, we enrolled 20 patients with T2DM and stable antidiabetic and antihypertensive treatment over the last 6 months. Patients were planned to undergo a thorough echocardiographic assessment of RV function twice, before and 6 months after initiation of a SGLT-2 inhibitor. We set as primary efficacy outcome the change in tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE).Mean age of participants was 62.8 ± 7.9 years, with a mean T2DM duration of 8.7 ± 6.1 years. Thirteen subjects were administered dapagliflozin, while the rest 7 were prescribed empagliflozin. Due to special regulations imposed in the context of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, mean treatment duration and follow-up period was 9.35 ± 3.4 months. SGLT-2 inhibitors led to a significant increase in TAPSE from 2.01 ± 0.23 to 2.12 ± 0.15 cm (p = 0.022). The result was significant for dapagliflozin (p = 0.015), while administration of empagliflozin resulted in a non-significant increase in TAPSE (p = 0.28). However, no significant difference between the two SGLT-2 inhibitors was shown (p = 0.7). Change in TAPSE was significant in subjects with prior history of cardiovascular disease (p = 0.024), while it was non-significant for subjects without previous cardiovascular disease (p = 0.26). Other parameters of RV function or RV dimensions were unchanged.This is the first study to assess the effect of long-term treatment with SGLT-2 inhibitors on RV function in subjects with T2DM, demonstrating a significant increase in TAPSE.